Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University Research Center created a firestorm of controversy a few years ago with his claim that autism was the result of an “extreme male brain”.

Dr. Mark Geier and his son David believe Baron-Cohen may be exactly right. I recently spoke with David Geier about these issues.

According to David Geier, the father-son team first became interested in this question after viewing a poster in which Dr. Boyd Haley showed how the addition of even a small amount of testosterone greatly enhanced the destructive power of mercury.

Through the work of Dr. Jill James, the Geiers were aware that people with autism had significantly lower levels of glutathione. In their investigations the Geiers found that testosterone blocks the body’s ability to make glutathione and that mercury binds to glutathione, thus inactivating whatever stores the body may already have.

According to the Geiers mercury also raises testosterone levels, while dramatically lowering glutathione. At special risk would be those individuals who have a family history of low estrogen and high testosterone. The Geiers' theory might tie together several disparate findings and give hope for those children who have not fully recovered through bio-medical interventions.

A known side-effect of high testosterone is precocious puberty, or the early development of adult features in children. When the Geiers went looking for signs of precocious puberty in the autistic children in their clinic they found it in approximately 80% of their patients.

According to the Breast Cancer Fund, over the past forty years the age of puberty in girls has dropped one to two years. The Geiers believe this is a population-wide effect of mercury from the vaccines. When the Geiers tested seventy children with autism for abnormal testosterone levels they found results outside the normal range in approximately one-quarter to one-third of their patients.

Curiously, the affected girls seemed to have even higher testosterone levels than the affected boys, leading the Geiers to conclude that was necessary to overcome the naturally protective effects of estrogen.

The testosterone molecule is also the perfect shape so that when it is combined with mercury the mercury will be tightly bound to the testosterone, making it impossible to remove from the body with chelators.

Let me say that again.

Testosterone binds with mercury, thus rendering it invulnerable to chelators. The chelators can then only pick up the free-floating heavy metals. If true, this is extremely important revelation.

Fortunately, traditional medicine has made tremendous inroads in moderating abnormal hormone levels. The drug Lupron has been used for many years to lower testosterone and has an excellent safety record according to the Geiers, with many people remaining on it for five to ten years. It is the treatment of choice among medical professionals for precocious puberty.

The Geiers theorized that if they were able to temporarily turn off testosterone production with lupron, they might be able to release these trapped stores of mercury.

In a discussion with a fellow medical professional the Geiers were curious as to whether anybody had tested what increased testosterone would do to normally developing children. The medical professional told them that testosterone shots were routinely done for boys who have undescended testes. Perhaps it’s not surprising, but during the course of the therapy the boys exhibit obsessive-compulsive traits, and near-autistic like tendencies which fade in the months following the end of treatment.

The Geiers claim to have treated more than two hundred patients with a combination of lupron until the point at which testosterone levels normalize, then DMSA to chelate out any remaining mercury. According to David Geier, there have been tremendous changes, “almost like a light switch” as these children make rapid improvements.

Treatment of children with autism by lupron seems to have some unique characteristics. Normally, a single injection of lupron is enough to bring down testosterone levels to normal levels, but when children with autism are administered lupron their testosterone levels often go up. At first it was theorized that this represented lupron resistance, although the makers of the drug when contacted by the Geiers claimed to have never heard of such a result.

For lack of a better description, it seemed as if the bodies of children with autism were “stuffed” with testosterone and as the body’s natural production of testosterone was temporarily interrupted it came pouring out of the body’s hidden stores. A modified lupron protocol was then created, with testing of testosterone levels guiding more frequent administration of the drug until testosterone levels are normalized.

The Geiers have found that the best results are achieved when patients are given a slow-release shot, and a daily injection.

The earliest patient was Wesley Sykes, whose mother is the Reverend Lisa Sykes of the Christ United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia. Three years ago, when Wesley was nine-years-old the Geiers told her about this idea. Besides being non-verbal, nine-year-old Wesley was having erections in the shower, masturbating, sporting peach fuzz, and had a two-inch growth spurt which Lisa had attributed to his good health. After talking with the Geiers it became clear to Lisa that Wesley was experiencing precocious puberty.

Working in concert with Dr. Mary Megson, it was discovered that Wesley did indeed have high testosterone levels.

As the first patient the Geiers were surprised to find that a lupron shot which should have taken Wesley’s testosterone levels from 25 to 0, only reduced it to 18. During that time, though, there were significant changes in Wesley, such as reduced hyperactivity, being able to swing on a swing, and beginning verbalizations. Consistent testing of testosterone levels guided the Geiers in how often to administer the lupron.

In an interview with Reverand Sykes which can be found on the internet, she recounted how she and the Geiers came to the conclusion that the testosterone had “bonded to mercury and soaked into his tissues.”

In the same interview Sykes recounts how the age of puberty in the United States has dropped two years, while in Scandinavian countries which demanded thimerosal-free vaccines in 1991, there has been no drop in the age of puberty.

The identification of testosterone with mercury retention might also explain another one of the long-standing mysteries of autism, namely why so many children with autism develop seizures in adolescence.

According to Reverend Sykes, it might be because their already high testosterone levels are pushed from “the stratosphere into orbit” by the additional testosterone production which accompanies the change to adulthood. The high testosterone produces seizures and aggressive behavior.

Now twelve years old, Wesley is reported by his mother to be extremely calm, typing with a keyboard, affectionate and interactive. In addition, the inappropriate sexual behavior vanished and with his keyboard he seems to have a fairly good grasp of his emotions and what is happening around him.

When a therapist was late for a session, he became agitated and when she later questioned him he was why he was upset he typed back, "I miss u." Another time he did not seem to be interested in a computer game suggested by his therapist and wrote to her, "This sucks."

While his receptive language is excellent, his verbal language opened in brief windows during the lupron treatments, but did not remain. They are continuing with the therapy as his porphyrin tests indicate some mercury still remains in his body.

Personal Thoughts

I believe this may be an enormous advance in our understanding, while giving hope to those children who have not received the full benefits of a chelation protocol. In short, why do some children recover and others seem to hit a wall beyond which they don't improve?

Other physicians, like Dr. Jeff Bradstreet are looking at the usage of other medications, like spironolactone as a hormone modulator. There may be other ways to moderate testosterone levels in autistic children if indeed they are shown to be abnormal.

In a previous column I recounted how a hormone test showed my daughter to have high testosterone levels and our doctor is looking to treat it first with supplements because she likes to be conservative.

I am heartened by the claim of David Geier that this is something you can get any endocrinologist to test, and if the testosterone level comes back high, lupron is their treatment of choice.

The only caveat is the understanding that children with autism are not likely to respond in a normal fashion so there needs to be more frequent monitoring of hormone levels.

This is a really big idea. Wouldn't it be great if this turned out to be another big piece in the struggle to get all our children back?

If you’d like to view interviews with either the Geiers or Reverend Lisa Sykes click HERE.

Comments

@Susan Marshall, I m so sorry to hear how your health was affected. Dont be afraid to take bioidentical hormones. I have done that since I was in my 40's and I am now 70 . I do not intend to stop any time soon. Contact me if you have any questions. Along with the hormones, take up the hobby of having good health through sunlight, nutrition and supplements. You may regain your lost health. The human body always wants to return to a healthy state if it can accomplish it with what you give it. Good luck

I'm wondering how true this is now that it's been years since this was posted...I was vax injured as a child with MMR and have some autistic symptoms....at age 26 got 22 vax in one month in peace corps and have CFS/ME (similar to autism...just onset later). i'm now 46 and am in full blown menopause with low hormones, even negative testosterne and am getting ready to start bioidentical hormones therapy to help the quality of my life some...i'm also chelating metals now. so this is an important topic i'd like to know if it's true or not....and what happens to the testosterne once bounded by mercury? inactivated it?

What are you all thinking? Testosterone, the male sex hormone, has nothing to do with testosterone. Increased levels of testosterone willl only cause a person to grow a thick beard and lose their hair. I go to a day program and see all the cases of autistic adults that their parents gave them Testosterone Inhibiters. They never grow up. They have a high squeecky voice, no beard, and have no masculinity to them. My own mother gave me that stuff. I turnedout to not be autistic. I have heart problems, I have erectile disfunction, and I have to take Testosterone injections. If you continue to do this to your children, this will happen to them. I know you want to help your sons. But, lableing them as too male is damaging. Just because one doctor says that it is the Testosterone, does not mean it really is.

Just to show you how far the excessive maleness steoriotype goes. I have never seen or heard of a case of an autistic girl being chemically castrated due to their mental disorder. Or in any case. Never before in any case. Not even once.

We doctor with the Geiers. Our son's testosterone levels were that of a 15 to 17 year old. Our son is eight. He was dx'd at 2. He is the third grade with a classroom aide. He no longer requires a one on one aide. He does all of his own schoolwork with little to no accommodations. His first semester report card:
Spelling B-
(He brought this one up from a consistent F)
Reading A
English A-
Math B
Soc St B+
(He would be at an A- except that we keep insisting on helping him with his Weekly Reader since it is meant to be a family time project.)
Sci/Health A

Staying focused and on task enough to keep up with his peers and receive marks like these, speaks for itself.

We love the Geiers. They go the extra mile and then some.They truly care about our loved ones with autism!

Way to go Sam Wessels! You make us proud every single day!

psst......there has been talk by the professionals at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Behavioral Clinic of changing his dx from Autism to PDDNOS or possibly Aspergers. Now that's progress!

FACTS: Mercury does not bond with testosterone under natural conditions of the human body, and giving the typical autistic hormone inhibitors is like giving an anorexic diet pills. Any person or organization who continues to promote this useless and irresponsible proposal has forfeited the right to publish or practice in medical matters.

I have a son who is considered IQ of 23. That is mainly because he is one of those people who is "locked inside himself" in being unable to motor independently through his day. He looks pretty atypical and is my hero! He is now 21 and has an intelligence way beyond most atypical adults. We have to use FC (Facilitated Commuication) with him and he spells on a laptop-like device. He is non-verbal. He has always (since age 6) spelled about his ability to know his brain and body internal workings and his journey to recovery. He is and has always been in-tune to what is necessary to continue the pathway to his healing his system. His definition of "recovery" or "cure" as some put it, is that one day his brain and body will connect and communicate and his abilities will come alive, hence his independence in daily living skills. He has always spelled about the connection to his disability being from mercury and lead and viral overload. Cleaning up his system, from diet, to nutrients and supplements, and then cheleation with HBOT has been a continual path. Graham is a determined young man....he has a vision and a promise from God that he received and does not let go of that. When I came across this web-site I was intrigued by the conversation of testosterone overload, estrogen, progesterone posssible implication to the affects Autism has on those who have been affected by it. I do know that Graham has always spelled about the end-result of his recovery process to his cure will be a "gonadal hormone shot" that an endocrinologist will administer to him. He has always spelled with conviction that those that are like him, will also be recovered by this discovery one day. Graham was given testosterone shots (5, 1 per month) when he was 13 years old because he was the opposite, in that he was always off the charts small, not developing into puberty and the males in his family line also had these issues....late onset puberty. After Graham received his first shot of testosterone, his gut (which he had always had intestinal problems, explosive diahreaha and on the GFCF diet several years for) was HEALED. We, for the first time, saw Graham able to eat a healthy diet and not have any associated problems with his gut....there is something to this.... He has spelled that there is a link to mercury, lead and vaccinations along with the genetic background of the parents (family unit). I am so happy to see that we are starting to see this area of truth coming to light for these people, and know that it is just a matter of time before Graham's knowledge becomes fact in the near future! Praise God!

I am 32, mother of a total of 3 kids. My middle son has been diagnosed with Autism and he also has been labeled as mental retarded by his school because his iq test score was 43. He's 8 years old and is in 1st grade because they held him back in kindergarden. He also was diagnosed with adhd and he took Adderral for a while but that seemed to zone him out. He didn't act like my son. When he was born he was given a shot... the doctor said to slow his puberty down otherwise he could get a girl pregnant at like the age of 9 years old. My husband and I had never heard of such a thing.. I mean how could the doctor predict the future?
At the age of 2 yrs old he had a hernia and it had to be repaired it was in his stomach and had fell down into his testicles.. and at age of 2 he had to have it repaired again bcuz it came loose.
We are told are children HAVE TO go to school but the teachers has labeled my child as mental retarded bcuz of his IQ test...and they are constantly complaining about his behavior at school. I explain to them that they are not alone. I have the same things to go through when he is at home with me. He rolls his eyes constantly and tries to talk but stutters.. he gets angry very easily and is very aggressive to his sister who is only 3 years old. He hollers and throws things. He has just recently got to where he will tell me no when I tell him to do something. I have to threaten to spank him to get him to listen to me. He isn't doing great on his work at school , has a short attention span and a hard time sitting still when doing his school work. I am willing to try anything to help him improve. I don't want anyone labeling my child as mental retarded. Please contact me. I am very interested in what you are doing. My husband has told me to just keep my son home and not send him to school. This is where we are at now..
At my wits end..

I am just doing some searching and found this article. My son has autism and is 9 years old. He has always been a bit aggressive and has severe emotional meltdowns. He doesn't have pubic hair or body odor and has only had 2 small pimples on his face. He does get erections but does not masterbate. And his testicles have not desended yet. WIth all that said my son tested to have 2 times the amount of testosterone that he should have. I just picked up the shots today and am both scared and excited. We have done so many therapies and biomedical treatments over the past 7 years and nothing has really helped my son. Wish me luck and please write if you can be supportive and have gone through this.

This article was published some months ago, but I wanted to put a fresh post here to give hope to parents new to AofA, who have children who appear to be pre-pubertal too soon. There is a significant precocious puberty link to autism for many children. If your under-12 child, boy or girl, is too strong for their age, physically aggressive with others, overly loud, has raging/scary meltdowns where you are concerned about your safety and theirs, starting to grow body hair, has significant body odor, is overtly sexual with others or has begun to masturbate, if your daughter is showing breast buds or started her period...THIS IS NOT OK!! THIS IS NOT NORMAL!! If any of these things sound familiar to you, I urge you to contact Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier WITHOUT DELAY. There is help to be had.

Let me repeat that: THERE IS HELP TO BE HAD!

Do not let one single doctor tell you that there is nothing that can be done for these issues, just because your child has an ASD diagnosis. Your child is experiencing precocious puberty, and any NT kid exhibiting the same kinds of symptoms at 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or even older depending on the symptoms, would be sent immediately to an endocrinologist. Our kids are dismissed too often, and I'm tired of it. Your child and you deserve relief from these issues. And there is help to be had.

As many parents of recovering ASD children know, there is hardly a system in the body that has not been affected or damaged in some way as a result of vaccine injury. Body chemistry, and within that, hormone production, are amongst some of the most delicate and most vulnerable chemical pathways. But it CAN be corrected, with patience, self-education, support from fellow families following the same treatment, and the Geiers' help. There is help to be had.

My son, diagnosed at 3, and now nearly 9, is now recovering using improved nutrition, vitamins, minerals, supplements, yeast control, and the Geiers' Lupron protocol. I have no doubt we have a long road ahead of us still. But we're ON that road now, instead of floundering in early puberty hell that we didn't even know we could get out of. Thanks to a Generation Rescue Angel, we empowered ourselves as parents, and are recovering our child. YOU CAN TOO! There is help to be had.

I will not go so far as to say that this is the right approach for every child with autism. But if anything I've written here is sending up red flags for you, don't turn your back on it. Contact the Geiers, or if you want to talk to a parent first, click my email link below. As a fellow parent, you have my best wishes for a healthy recovery for your child, no matter what road to recovery you choose.

About time the truth came out !my nih #04-14-39 6,6 yeards old puberty and pinealoma.high blood pressure ect.at 12 yeards old bench pressed 355 lb at 144 lb.bw, is that enough testostrone for you?I didnt get any treatment, lucky i guess ,Just 10 yeards of lies and more lies and Iam o- blood type any more - blood types with these problems ? try keto diet it helped me !studied at NIH hospital 1962 untile 1973 over 10 yeards ,the things they did to me!!!

It is my understanding that he was invited to and recently attended a DAN! think-tank. I wish all the 'good guy doctors' could get together and devise a comprehensive protocol which includes everything from A to Z, catered to each child's individual needs.

I do believe that mainstream doctors wouldn't accept it as it (autism via mercury poisoning) is a $90 billion dollar per year industry (expected to more than double in the next decade) and estimates suggest that the removal of Thimerosal from vaccines will result in a 25% drop in "business" for doctors.

I hope the ethical, non-greedy doctors won't be deterred.

God help those pregnant moms in poorer countries for whom Pampers has a 1 pack = 1 vaccine campaign. The one vaccine - a (Thimerosal-containing? ) tetanus shot.

I got excited about this treatment a few years ago - right after Lisa Sykes started it with Wesley. One of my young son's "stims" is to rub his private area on things - rocking back and forth. Chelation also had no effect on him. So, I really thought this would be the answer for us! But, alas, Dr. Megson told us that his testosterone levels were normal.

Yet, I am very happy for the kids who are showing high testosterone levels. This is truly an exciting breakthrough - and I applaud the Geiers for their courage to pursue this research. Such good news that some children are improving with this treatment. Another piece of the puzzle - hooray!

I have a close friend who's going through fertility treatments. Like some women who were living too close to Ground Zero on 9/11, she had trouble conceiving and I got to hear the blow by blow. She brought up a really interesting point about treatments designed to raise estrogen. If estrogen were artificially raised too high, the hormone feedback system would counter by raising androgen levels and a fertilized egg wouldn't implant in a high-androgen "environment". She wasn't told this by a doctor but had to google it and then confront the doctor with it. She's a bit on the vanguard over a lot of things and, for instance, convinced us to stop drinking bottled water and to get a water filter two years ago because of the bisphenol A issue and synthetic estrogens.

Now I'm wondering if bisphenol A is playing a complementary role in autism by causing hormone backlash in infants-- synthetic estrogen leading to increased testosterone. Someone here raised the important point that artificial hormones in meat and dairy could be contributing to early puberty in some children, though in our kids' case, they were only given organic everything. I did drink bottled water while pregnant and nursing, though, and they were sipping from water bottles from the age of six months, gnawing on plastic baby toys all along and probably getting doses of plasticizer from many sources.

In any case, the testosterone/mercury theory has always rung a bell with us in regards to our kids' injuries. We were very compelled by the Geiers' statement that the reason that methyl B-12 and other autism treatments seemed to work so well was because methyl B-12, secretin, etc., lower testosterone. Aside from any chemical tinkering, we suspect that our twins have inherited natural hormone levels which contribute to susceptibility-- high testosterone males and go-getter females run strong in both sides of the family.

And how tragic is that? If environmental autism is weeding out particularly masculine males and female athletes, leaders and CEOs, what's the future going to look like?

Fascinating stuff, Kent. I'm just in awe of all the progress that is being made, without the help of the medical profession or government. Of course, it is sickening that it is all happening without their help, and I hope one day they are sorry, really sorry, for what they have not done.

Meanwhile, answers and help are being found. You can't keep a good parent down, eh?

Good, important article. But to keep this testosterone-mercury-glutathione link from being instantly kicked into the tall grass by those who want to rubbish the Geiers every chance they get & never listen to anything they have to say, I'd like to point out another perspective on the matter, that brings in the role of glutamate in this discussion - an excitotoxin present in vaccines (MSG). It's in a longish paper by Russell L Blaylock, MD (a former neurologist) entitled 'The Danger of Excessive Vaccination During Brain Development: The Case for a Link to Autism Spectrum Disorders'. It should be on his website: www.russellblaylockmd.com. An excellent paper, with this section headed 'Why Males Are Affected More Often'. I highly recommend the paper, and this section in particular for its contribution to this aspect of the 'debate'. Also the work of Carol Hornlein (at msgtruth.org) on the important role of glutamate in all this, and its link with the genes they are discovering in relation to autism.
We're getting there. Well done, everybody, in this mission for understanding, and ultimate action. Which is way late; but better late than never, with the medical-pharmaceutical-government complex willing to sacrifice all those who have suffered from the side effects of vaccines 'for the sake of the whole'. That whole is getting mighty peaked-looking, with all the chronic illness & disease going on. Even though it's certainly a boon for the drug companies. Anything for a buck....but let's not go there, just yet. Let's stick with the science; which IS falling into place.
As long as we don't make the mistake of falling into the trap of those who would hope to stonewall on this matter, by thinking 'we' have to come up with peer-reviewed studies in the establishment's select journals before anything substantive can happen in this matter. What 'peers' are going to jeopardize their reputations and careers by signing off on the progress that is being made? Except the really honest ones. Those lonely souls who must be deeply torn by now. No; good science - ie, factual science, not science that supports one point of view - will out, wherever it gets posted, and commented on. The tobacco industry's power finally faltered. Big Pharma's will, too, with evidence that parents can take to Congress and demand action on - or to their respective state legislatures, which may not be so beholden to the corporate interests controlling the federal legislature. Let's keep hope for a breakthrough wherever it takes place. Another Robert Kennedy Jr. article, and the whole mighty edifice might start crumbling....so keep up the good work, AOA. We're wearing them down. Parents certainly aren't going to be the ones to give up in this battle. That's powerful stuff. The best.

Kent, thanks for bringing this topic forward and with such useful detail. I know both the Geiers and Lupron are controversial and even to address it seriously is likely to bring criticism. but i must share for the first time my own personal observation from a couple of years ago. again this is not a recommendation, just an anecdote, but i am of the opinion that anecdotes are important, and the ones that mean anything will sort themselves out over time.
Anyway, I was at the Geier's home -- you know, the one with the fake paneling or whatever the NYT decided to ridicule it for -- to discuss lots of things with them. I had never heard of Lupron, but while I was there a child, a boy of somewhere in the 7-9 range i would guess, came for a Lupron shot. He was bouncing around the house in his own world while they got set up. I was just killing time and not paying much attention except to watch the child behave in what seemed to me like a very autistic way -- no eye-contact, no interaction, no concentration.
He got the shot, and within a VERY few minutes he seemed like a different child to me. He came up to me, interacted, made eye contact. Most of all he was so much calmer.
Again, I'm not offering this as an endorsement. You could probably shoot someone up with valium or some of the psychotropic drugs we DON'T want used on children with autism and manage to calm them down, or zone them out, or shut them up for some period of time.
This kid, however, was not zoned out, he was back from the zoned-out zone, however temporarily or coincidentally. Just had to put this on the record.
Best,
Dan

"According to the Breast Cancer Fund, over the past forty years the age of puberty in girls has dropped one to two years. The Geiers believe this is a population-wide effect of mercury from the vaccines."

I'm not so sure about the mercury. There are an enormous amount of artificial hormones in the milk, cheese and beef we all eat. I think that because of these hormones, we are seeing a large number of teenaged girls with precocious puberty. It's an interesting theory, though, and I'd like to see more on it.

"In a discussion with a fellow medical professional the Geiers were curious as to whether anybody had tested what increased testosterone would do to normally developing children. The medical professional told them that testosterone shots were routinely done for boys who have undescended testes."

We need to remember that estrogen dominance is yet another aspect of a dysfunctional endocrine system. Estrogen dominance can lead to seizures as well if there is insufficiency of progesterone. Its just that all the focus so far has been on testosterone that people do not necessarily know this.

I was very pleased to see something finally written about this connection. We have seen some nice things on the Geier protocol. I have one of those girls with high levels of testosterone. She has savant skills when it comes to languages, music, reading skills, computer skills, and video games. Although she still has these skills, I am also seeing some very sweet play with her stuffed animals that we did not see before. She is now naming them and choosing a different one to sleep with at night. Her appetite has decreased and cognition has increased. Her monthly porphyrin tests have steadily decreased without any chelators other than her supps. I am hopeful that we will continue to see these changes but testosterone in this population is a very stubborn foe that does not want to release its grip very easily...this fact alone should have all the "experts" scratching their heads...why does lupron behave differently in this population?? It is not enough for the drug makers to just say they have "never heard of such a result" from their drug.